This Blog is pragmatic about Trump. I oppose the State Visit, but a working visit would be fine as part of the D-Day Celebrations. I oppose him on Climate Change, Iran, the Middle East and a whole raft of social attitudes, especially his pandering to the far right. I think he has a point about trade practices which are unfair to America and NATO members paying their fair share. I like his long telephone call with Putin the other day and his tweet that America should try to get along better with both Russia and China. I also like his tweet giving Kim Jon Un encouragement and space to take advantage of the huge economic potential out there waiting if he comes in from the cold and does a nuclear deal.
Where the picture is mixed includes the economy, which has benefited from deregulation and tax cuts in the short term, but the infrastructure and investment programmes which will ensure growth in the long term are still missing. And the plan to get rid of Maduro has misfired, maybe through an over confident and simplistic John Bolton who seems to have been in charge of the US contribution to the crisis in Venezuela. As for the Russia investigation into collusion and stuff, everybody knows the President lies and bullies and that prior to becoming the occupier of the White House he had an unusually close relationship with Russia at several levels, especially financial. But I think the Democrats need to be VERY careful about flogging this issue over and over. Polls suggest voters want to move on.